七 个 世 界 一 个 星 球
澳大利亚 Australia
这样一座岛屿大陆 an island continent
从恐龙时代便开始了分离漂移之旅 cast adrift during the time of the dinosaurs.
经过数千万年与其它大陆隔绝的变迁 Isolated from the rest of life on land for millions of years,
留存在岛上的动物已完全不同于其它地方 the animals cast away here are today like none elsewhere.
这里成了幸存者的世外桃源 This is a land of survivors.
澳 大 利 亚
解说：大卫·爱登堡
澳大利亚的北部森林 是我们星球上最古老的原始森林 The jungles of northern Australia - the oldest on our planet.
1.8亿年以来 这里几乎没有任何变化 Unchanged for 180 million years.
动植物们个个都有武器傍身 The animals and plants here are armed...
这是与恐龙共存的结果 ...built to live alongside dinosaurs.
如今这里只幸存了一种大型动物 Now there is just one giant left.
它的爪子比伶盗龙还要长 身高约两米 With claws longer than a velociraptor and nearly two metres tall...
这就是主宰森林的鹤鸵 ...the cassowary rules this forest.
但鹤鸵能幸存下来 并非因为它的身高 But the key to its success is not its stature...
而是由于雄性承担了育儿重任 ...it's the male's abilities as a parent.
这只雄性鹤鸵的幼鸟们只有6周大 This one's chicks are six weeks old,
这位父亲要独自抚育它们 and he will raise them by himself.
幼鸟们要想长得高大强壮 Every morsel of food is valuable
就不能浪费一丁点食物 if his chicks are to grow up tall and strong.
不过森林里的 But in this forest,
大部分果实对幼鸟来说都太大了 most of the fruit is too big for the chicks.
父亲需要帮忙啄碎果子 It must be cut up for them.
它们的领地里能吃的食物不少 There is food to be gathered throughout their territory...
但要想找到却并不容易 ...but it's not easy to find.
父亲给幼鸟们示范如何涉水 He shows them how to cross water.
但如果你的腿只有10厘米长 But when your legs are only 20cm long,
这样的溪流便如同深渊 a stream like this is very deep.
一只小鹤鸵决定冒险一试 One takes the plunge...
但另一只却迟疑不前 ...but for the other, this is too daunting.
它打起退堂鼓 想原路返回 He turns and goes back the way he came.
脱离了父亲的照看 这只小鹤鸵 Out of sight and without his father's protection,
很容易有危险 he's vulnerable.
只有一半鹤鸵幼鸟能活到成年 Only half of cassowary chicks make it to adulthood...
这确实是有原因的 ...and for very good reason.
澳大利亚的这片原始森林里 依旧潜伏着众多捕食者 Australia's prehistoric forests are still full of predators.
很多动物能够存活至今 Many manage to survive here
就是因为它们不会放过任何比自己小的猎物 by eating almost anything that's smaller than they are.
小鹤鸵必须尽快找到父亲 - He needs to find his father... - (CHEEPS)
刻不容缓 ...and quickly.
鹤鸵父亲听到幼鸟的呼救 并做出回应 The male hears his cries and answers...
它的叫声独特 能在茂密的森林中传播很远 ...using a special call that carries well through the thick forest.
随后幼鸟见到了一抹令它安心的鲜艳色彩 And then a glimpse of some reassuring bright colours.
亲情最终战胜了内心的恐惧 Their bonds are stronger than their fears.
雄性鹤鸵还会教导保护幼鸟8个月左右 The male will guide and protect his chicks for another eight months
然后便会再次交配 before he mates again.
澳大利亚曾是冈瓦纳古陆的组成部分 Australia was once part of the vast supercontinent of Gondwanaland...
那时的陆地上森林密布 到处生机盎然 ...covered in forest and full of life.
恐龙称霸世界 Dinosaurs dominated.
哺乳动物刚刚出现 Mammals had only just appeared.
随后 澳大利亚大陆开始分离 Then Australia began to break away.
这座新岛屿上的爬行动物 鸟类和早期哺乳动物 Cast adrift on this new island were reptiles, birds and early mammals
便走上了与世隔绝的独特进化之路 that then evolved in isolation from the rest of the world.
没有什么动物能离开这座巨大的岛屿 None could now leave this giant island,
也几乎不存在外来者 and very few could get here...
除非它们会飞 ...unless they could fly.
一只小红狐蝙 A little red flying fox.
当初它们的祖先沿着 Their ancestors flew here,
连接亚洲和澳大利亚的火山岛链 travelling along the chain of volcanic islands
一路飞到了这里安家 that links Asia to Australia.
因为从前肢拇指一直到后肢脚趾都覆有翼膜 But their huge wings, which stretch from their fingers to their toes,
这造成它们不便于行走和从地面起飞 make it difficult for them to walk or take off from the ground,
所以当它们想休息时 就会在树上倒挂金钩 so, when they want to rest, they hang upside down in trees.
不过这些小红狐蝠每天都必须喝水 But the bats have to drink every day.
它们也能在飞行中实现 And they do so on the wing.
它们会快速俯冲到较低位置浸湿腹部 They swoop just low enough to wet their bellies
然后返回栖息地 吮其水分 and then, back in their roosts, they will suck out the water.
每晚 会有上万只小红狐蝠浩浩荡荡来到这里 Each evening, 10,000 of them come here.
但有的却再也无法返回 Not all of them return.
河流中大约每两米就隐藏着一个杀手 Every two metres of river, there is...
鳄鱼 ...a crocodile.
它们在这里生活的时间比小红狐蝠更加久远 They were here long before the bats...
鳄鱼是澳大利亚史前时期的幸存者 ...survivors from Australia's prehistoric past.
这样惊心动魄的生死较量早已上演了千百万年 These dramas have been taking place for millions of years...
凭借着灵活机敏的空中动作 ...aerial agility...
小红狐蝠得以对抗 ...versus patience...
鳄鱼的耐心与致命速度 ...and deadly speed.
对动物们来说 在澳大利亚的森林里安家落户可谓危机四伏 Australia's forests are hostile places in which to make your home.
从沿海向内陆行进 林地减少 天气变凉 As you move inland, the forest thins, the air cools
随着陆地海拔升高 大地景观变得截然不同 and the land, as it gets higher, changes dramatically.
大分水岭巍峨挺拔 比原始森林的海拔高出2000米 The Great Dividing Range, 2,000 metres above the jungle.
动物们要想在此生存 必须能够忍受严酷的环境 To survive here, you must be able to tolerate really harsh conditions.
这片大陆上 几乎所有的哺乳动物都是有袋动物 Kangaroos, like nearly all of the continent's native mammals,
东部灰大袋鼠也不例外 are marsupials...
有袋动物的母亲经常通过腹部的育儿袋来养育幼崽 ...mammals that rear their young usually in a pouch on the mother's belly.
在这里 幼崽显然需要这样的庇护所 And the young up here certainly need such shelter.
对袋鼠来说 这是它们能够长期存活的最高海拔 No kangaroos can survive for long higher than this.
不过这里还生活着一种更加顽强的有袋动物 But there is an even tougher marsupial up here.
袋熊 A wombat.
这只雌性袋熊通常躲在地下洞穴里 She usually shelters underground in a burrow,
但现在它的家园以及赖以为生的草地 but now that is under a metre of snow,
都被一米厚的积雪覆盖 together with all the grass on which she lives.
它的体重与大型犬不相上下 She weighs as much a big dog
腿长却与小型犬相似 and has the legs of a small one -
显然不适合在积雪中行进 not ideal for deep snow.
零星可见的树皮 连零食几乎都算不上 Fragments of bark hardly count even as a snack...
更何况它此刻饿得要命 ...and she's hungry.
它需要吃草 She needs grass.
但草地大约两公里之外 它需要穿越冻结的河流 But it's over a mile away, across a frozen river.
袋熊或者行动迟缓 Wombats might not be fast,
但它们其实没必要匆忙 but then they don't need to be up here.
毕竟它们所求不多 They can survive on next to nothing.
随便几口干草就能让它们坚持一个多星期 A few mouthfuls will be enough food for over a week.
而且这里地处偏远 生存竞争并不激烈 And there's not much competition for it in this small corner of the continent.
白雪皑皑的山峰显然不是澳大利亚的典型特色 Snowy peaks are hardly typical of Australia,
但大分水岭是古老历史的遗迹 but the Great Dividing Range is a remnant
它的前身曾是长度数一数二的山脉 of what were once some of the longest mountain chains on Earth.
这些山脉将澳大利亚和南极洲紧密相连 They connected Australia and Antarctica.
但随后 这对姐妹大陆分道扬镳 But then these sister continents broke apart.
南极州一路向南漂移 变成了冰封之地 Antarctica, drifting southwards, became locked in ice.
澳大利亚大陆则沿着赤道方向北上 Australia drifted northwards towards the equator
气候变得更加炽热干燥 and became hotter and drier.
随后林地开始成型 Woodlands developed,
而那些降雨量相对较少的地区 and in places where rainfall was low -
变成了开阔的草原 open grasslands.
芳草萋萋的草原 On these grassy plains,
为动物们提供了繁衍兴盛的家园 animals had the space to thrive.
这些也是东部灰大袋鼠 These are also eastern grey kangaroos,
草原是它们真正的家 and this is their true home.
这里食物充足 个个强壮有力 Here, they are well fed and powerful.
成年东部灰大袋鼠的身高超过两米 奔跑速度可媲美赛马 Adults can stand over two metres tall and travel as fast as a racehorse.
在开阔的草原地带 速度至关重要 And on these open plains, you need speed...
因为凡是有成群动物活动的地方 就会有捕食者出没 ...because where there are large herds, there will be predators.
澳洲野犬 是狼的后裔 它们是大约4000多年前 Dingoes - descendants of wolves that were brought here
由人类殖民者从亚洲带到这片大陆的 over 4,000 years ago by human visitors from Asia.
这个澳洲野犬群由一只白色雌性领导 This pack is led by a white female...
现在群体正在捕猎 ...and they are hunting.
它们制造恐慌 惊吓袋鼠群 Creating panic tests the herd.
袋鼠母亲的育儿袋里藏着幼崽 速度自然大打折扣 Mothers with young in their pouches might be slower...
但应付澳洲野犬仍绰绰有余 ...but they can still outrun a dingo.
澳洲野犬决定采取伏击战术 Maybe an ambush will work.
但是就连刚独立的年轻袋鼠也让它们望洋兴叹 But even young, newly independent kangaroos seem uncatchable.
在开阔平坦的草原上 Across these open, flat plains,
澳洲野犬要想靠速度制胜 明显是不自量力 the dingoes are just not fast enough.
但这只白色雌性澳洲野犬能够成为群体首领 靠的是它的持久耐力 But what makes the white female their leader is her stamina
尤其是智慧 and, particularly, her intelligence.
今天它已经奔跑了近30公里 但它仍旧没有放弃 She has run 18 miles today, but she still doesn't give up.
又一群袋鼠 这次的地势崎岖不平 A different group of kangaroos, this time on uneven ground.
这正是它期待已久的机会 It's what she's been looking for.
在山坡上追赶袋鼠群 让它有些力不从心 Driving them uphill, she's struggling to keep up with them.
袋鼠群在山峰另一侧开始下坡 速度越来越快 And as they hurtle down the other side, the kangaroos pick up speed.
它们很容易靠速度脱离险境 只要能稳住步伐 They will easily outpace her, if they stay in control.
白色首领之所以锲而不舍 还有更重要的原因 The white dingo has more than one reason to be so relentless.
它要养育幼崽 She's a mother.
这样的画面非常罕见 This is a rare sight.
澳洲野犬的幼崽很难看到 Dingo pups are hardly ever seen.
一顿饭就如此大费周章 With so much effort for just one meal,
开阔的草原实在不适合澳洲野犬养育幼崽 the open plains are tough places on which to raise young.
这些是桉树 These are gumtrees.
桉树叶中因为含有有毒物质 让大多数动物望而却步 They have leaves that are poisonous to most animals.
但树袋熊是个例外 But not the koala.
它们唯一的食物就是桉树叶 They eat almost nothing else.
森林地面上也有针鼹四处出没 There are echidnas in these forests, too -
这种哺乳动物没有育儿袋 而是像爬行动物一样产卵 mammals that don't even have pouches but lay eggs, like reptiles.
这里还生活着一种最近刚被发现的暗杀高手 And there is an assassin here that has only recently been discovered.
它是一种跳蛛 A Jotus jumping spider.
这只雌性的身长只有5毫米 She's only 5mm long,
虽然个头小 却是凶残成性的隐秘猎手 but, nonetheless, she's a stealthy and ferocious hunter.
它在纠缠错杂的草丛中寻找猎物 She searches for prey among the grass stems.
它一心追逐猎物 始终专心致志地捕食 猎杀 She's single-minded and focused on hunting.
但今天或许有所不同 But today might be different.
眼前的物体很陌生 This is something new,
速度也很快 something fast...
应付起来比较棘手 ...and a little trickier.
但这是什么呢 But what is it?
是食物吗 Is it food?
这是一只正在寻找伴侣的雄性跳蛛 It's a male Jotus, looking for a mate.
它需要吸引雌性的注意 He needs to catch her attention,
但这种雌性跳蛛只能交配一次 but female Jotus only mate once.
如果已经交配 它会毫不留情地杀死雄性 If she's mated before, she might kill him.
雄性必须小心翼翼地讨好雌性 He will need to seduce her with care.
它挥舞螯肢 亮明自己的意图 Waving his arms makes his intentions clear.
我是朋友 不是食物 He's a friend, not food.
目前雌性还没有攻击的迹象 No sign of an attack...yet.
但雌性对它似乎并不感兴趣 But she doesn't seem particularly impressed.
是时候亮出自己的绝招了 Time to try his best move...
荡起双桨 ...the double paddle.
这招杀手锏绝对能打动雌性 That surely will do the trick.
最后一次挥动 One final wave...
雌性最终臣服在它的魅力下 ...and he's tamed her.
静静地任由摆布 She stays still for just long enough.
随后 雄性快速撤退 以免雌性改变主意 And then he retreats quickly, before she has second thoughts.
继续深入澳大利亚腹地 If you travel still further towards the centre of Australia,
大地再次变幻出不同的景色 the landscape changes yet again.
树木和青草渐渐失去踪影 Trees and grass disappear.
在整个史前时期 这块大陆继续向北漂移 The continent, throughout prehistory, continued to drift north,
随着进入热带地区 气候变得越发炎热 and as it entered the tropics, it got hotter and hotter.
数千年来 大陆中部的草原干枯 Over thousands of years, the grasslands of the centre dried,
湖泊与河流干涸 露出沙土 and lakes and rivers turned dust.
炽热的狂风侵蚀岩石 留下滚滚黄沙 The rocks have been reduced to sand by the hot, blasting winds.
现在澳大利亚的中心地带就是一片巨大的沙漠 Now Australia's centre is one vast desert.
它的广阔无垠几乎让人难以想象 Its immensity is almost impossible to comprehend.
这列向北行驶的火车将近有1000米长 This train running north is a half a mile long.
它的行进时速高达80公里 Travelling at nearly 50 miles an hour,
纵贯大陆需要将近3天时间 it takes almost three days to get from one side to another.
如今澳大利亚是地球上有人居住的最干燥的大陆 Australia today is the driest inhabited continent on Earth.
这里有70%的土地几乎滴雨不沾 Rain hardly ever falls in 70% of it.
从太空上看 曾经的砂岩分崩离析 含有氧化铁的沙土 From space, the continent is seen to be stained red by iron oxide -
形成了一片红色的荒漠 rust from its disintegrating rocks.
数千年的风化侵蚀在陆地表面 形成深浅不一的线条 In the surface are lines carved by winds over millennia.
大陆骨架在风剥雨蚀下 光秃秃地裸露在外 The very bones of the continent are now stripped bare...
这些曾经是连绵山脉的基础 ...the foundations of what once were mountains.
它的中心是巍峨的艾尔斯岩石 又名乌鲁鲁巨石 At its heart stands the great rock mountain of Uluru...
大约6万年前 首批原住民来到此地时 将其视为圣地 ...sacred to the first people to arrive here 60,000 years ago.
这里几乎没有土壤 没有植物 没有动物 There is almost no soil here, few plants, few animals
也没有永久性水源 and almost no permanent water.
只有最顽强的生命才能生存 It's a place where only the toughest can survive.
这里是爬行动物的天下 This is the land of reptiles.
澳大利亚拥有比其它大陆更加丰富多样的爬行动物 Australia has more species of them than any other continent.
眼斑巨蜥身长大约两米 The perentie, two metres long,
是当地最大的爬行动物 现在它渴得要命 is the biggest here, and he's thirsty.
这里一年只有一两次降雨 It only rains here once or twice a year.
在干旱无雨时 And when there isn't any rain,
眼斑巨蜥通过捕食蜥蜴获取生存所需的水分 perenties get their water from eating lizards.
可供它捕食的蜥蜴有很多 There are several kinds to choose from...
鬃狮蜥 ...bearded dragons...
蓝舌蜥 ...blue-tongued skinks...
还有棘蜥 ...and thorny devils.
这些都是它的捕食对象 All are on the menu.
棘蜥同样从食物中汲取水分 The thorny devil also gets its water from its food.
它的个头与老鼠相似 It's only the size of a mouse,
每天却需要吃成百上千只蚂蚁 but, even so, it must eat hundreds of ants every day to get what it needs.
大多数风暴云只是匆匆路过 很少会形成降雨 Most storm clouds pass by without releasing any water.
但偶尔 But just sometimes,
也会有短暂阵雨 there's a brief shower.
当地动物自然不会错过这个机会 Everyone makes the most of the opportunity.
地面温度很高 水滴降落几分钟后就会消失 It's so hot the droplets will disappear within minutes.
但棘蜥自有补水的独门绝招 But the thorny devil has a trick.
它发现了一处 He's found a tiny puddle,
只有几毫米深的小水坑 only a few millimetres deep,
随后将脚趾全部浸入其中 and he dips his toe into it.
棘蜥的皮肤就像吸墨纸 His skin is like blotting paper.
它通过毛细作用吸收水分 It collects moisture by capillary action,
体表的微小凹槽形成吸管网 直到全身闪闪发亮 sucking it up along the inter-connecting grooves until he glistens all over.
当水流入口中时 When the water reaches his mouth,
它可以高抬头部喝水 he can collect it...
同时严密注意四周的风吹草动 ...while still keeping his head up, on the lookout for danger.
眼斑巨蜥的体长是棘蜥的200倍 The perentie is 200 times the size of a thorny devil.
像这样的小水坑和微不足道的水滴对它于事无补 Tiny puddles and droplets are of no use to him.
它需要的是美味多汁的蜥蜴 What he needs is a juicy lizard.
一条鬃狮蜥因为速度不及 最终沦为猎物 That was a bearded dragon that wasn't quite quick enough.
眼斑巨蜥也得以用美味解渴了 Even the perentie sometimes gets a chance to quench his thirst.
有一个物种是澳大利亚沙漠真正的主宰 There is one species that has truly conquered the Australian desert.
它们不会等待天降甘霖 They don't wait for water to come to them.
相反 每天要长途跋涉将近500公里去寻找水源 They sometimes travel over 300 miles in a single day to find it.
它们是澳大利亚最顽强的动物之一 Australia's hardiest animal...
虎皮鹦鹉 ...the wild budgerigar...
它是沙漠游牧民中技艺非常娴熟的动物 ...the most accomplished of all desert nomads.
会结伴飞上数周时间 These have been travelling together for weeks...
很显然这引发了一些家庭争论 ...and that has evidently caused a few domestic arguments.
这是名副其实的庞大群体 This is truly an immense community.
10000多只虎皮鹦鹉浩浩荡荡地结伴而行 There are over 10,000 budgies in this flock.
每只虎皮鹦鹉迫切希望喝水 Every one of them is thirsty.
虽然找到了这处死水潭 But although they've found this billabong...
但它们也必须小心谨慎 ...they must be wary.
一只鹰 它是虎皮鹦鹉的天敌 A hawk - and one that eats budgies.
当鹰在地面停留时 虎皮鹦鹉冒险到水潭喝水 As long as it remains on the ground, the budgies will risk taking a drink.
可是鹰一旦升空 它们将会陷入危险境地 Once it takes to the air, however, the budgies are in danger.
而且鹰并非这里唯一的的猛禽 And it's not the only bird of prey here.
虎皮鹦鹉发展出一套简单高效的防御体系 The budgies have a simple but very effective defence -
它们会同时升空 they all take to the wing at once.
空中猎手必须锁定猎物几秒钟 An aerial hunter needs to lock on to a single target for a few seconds
才能一击而中 if it is to catch it,
但面对上下翻飞的虎皮鹦鹉 做到这点难如登天 but in this swirl, that's very hard to do.
群体行动能保护个体安全 但喝水的欲望根本无法抑制 Flying in a flock keeps the budgies safe, but they're still desperate to drink.
当一只胆大的虎皮鹦鹉俯冲时 其它成员也蜂拥而下 As soon as a particularly brave one takes the plunge, they all do.
可是在水面 它们更容易遭到攻击 But once on the water, they are easier to target.
它们必须快速喝水 并保持行动一致 They must drink quickly and stick together.
最后一批离开的成员面临的危险也最大 The last ones to leave will be the ones in most danger.
浩浩荡荡的虎皮鹦鹉大军中 只有一只被擒 Only one has been taken from a flock of 10,000.
几天后 它们将离开这个地区 In a few days, they will leave the area,
继续踏上寻觅之旅 on their never-ending search
寻找新的大饱口福的机会 for the next brief opportunity to feed and drink.
澳大利亚大陆继续向北漂移 As the continent continued to drift north,
最终进人温暖的热带海洋 it eventually entered warm, tropical seas.
在波光粼粼的清澈海水中 And here, in the crystal-clear, sunlit water,
在水下大约一两米深处 just a metre or two beneath the surface,
是一派生机勃勃的景象 life proliferated.
珊瑚茁壮成长 在浅水海域形成了珊瑚礁 Coral grows into reefs in these shallow seas.
这里是宁格罗暗礁群 This is Ningaloo...
是世界上不计其数的海洋物种赖以栖息的家园 ...today one of the richest anywhere in the world.
成千上万的鱼类和其它各种海洋居民 Thousands of species of fish and all kinds of other organisms
在这些珊瑚城市繁衍生息 thrive in these coral cities.
它们吸引了地球上现存最古老的捕食者之一 And they have attracted the most ancient of living predators.
鲨鱼 Sharks.
它们存在的历史比恐龙还要久远两亿多年 They were around 200 million years before the dinosaurs.
鲨鱼行动迅速 灵活敏捷 They're fast and agile,
捕食小型珊瑚礁鱼类游刃有余 well able to pick off the small reef fish.
但它们此行是为了更大的回报 But they come here for bigger rewards.
这些规模宏大的鱼群从开阔海域成群而来 These are fish from the open ocean,
出于某种原因 它们经常游过珊瑚礁 and every so often, for some reason, they swim over the reef.
鱼群就像虎皮鹦鹉一样快速旋转 The small fish swirl like the budgies, and for the same reason.
这种集体战略让捕食者晕头转向 难以锁定目标 It makes it harder for a hunter to single out a particular target.
鲨鱼改变分而攻之的做法 不再执着于个体 But, in fact, the sharks aren't trying to catch them individually.
它们将鱼群赶向近岸水域 防止它们四散而逃 They're driving them closer to the shore, penning them against the beach.
鲨鱼从容不迫地将鱼群赶向浅水区 Slowly, the sharks drive each new wave of fish into shallow water,
饵球变得越来越大 and the bait ball grows.
更多鲨鱼闻风而至 有些来自数公里之外 More sharks arrive, some from many miles away.
但是鲨鱼群仍旧按兵不动 And still the sharks don't attack.
它们正在等待 They're waiting...
最佳的进攻时机 ...for the right moment.
数百万只鱼被困在浅水区域 进退两难 Millions of fish are now trapped in these shallow waters.
像这样的盛况十年难得一见 It only happens like this once in every decade or so.
进攻的号角终于吹晌 The time has come to strike.
对鲨鱼来说 这是大快朵颐的机会 For the sharks, this is a bonanza.
它们联合行动 They work together.
每只鲨鱼可以轮流进食 Each shark now fills its stomach.
这片浅水区域俨然成了鲨鱼的天下 These shallow seas are exceptionally rich in sharks.
这里的鲨鱼种类比其他任何地方的都多 There are more species here than anywhere else on Earth.
澳大利亚四面环水 大陆四周不仅环绕着美丽多姿的珊瑚礁 Australia is not only fringed by rich reefs
还点缀着大大小小的奇特岛屿 but girdled with islands - some big, some small.
澳大利亚的南部海岸坐落着该国目前最大的岛屿 Off the south coast lies by far the biggest of them.
塔斯马尼亚岛 Tasmania.
岛上栖息着当地特有的有袋动物 And that has its own special marsupial...
这种动物喜欢在夜幕降临后现身 ...one that seldom appears until after dark.
袋獾 The Tasmanian devil.
许多捕食者的领地中不乏猎物 Many predators inhabit a territory packed with prey.
但是在塔斯马尼亚岛 它们的猎物寥寥无几 But here, there's nothing like that for them.
袋獾可能要“夜以继夜”地跋涉数公里 Each may travel for miles night after night,
沿途找食任何活物或腐尸 prepared to eat anything it can find, dead or alive.
海岸地带是理想的觅食地 The shoreline is a good place to search.
它们在这里也许能找到小型动物 There might be some small creatures to catch here,
或者享受潮汐送来的免费大餐 or maybe something that the tide has brought in.
一只沙袋鼠的尸体残骸被冲上海岸 The carcass of a wallaby has been washed ashore.
袋獾一次能吃掉相当于自身体重40%的猎物 Tasmanian devils can eat 40% of their body weight in one session,
它们的颚骨强劲有力 and they have hugely powerful jaws.
不会浪费任何食物 包括骨头 They tackle everything - even bones.
回到巢穴 Back at the den,
它还要喂食嗷嗷待哺的幼崽 there are other hungry mouths.
它的两只幼崽刚刚6个月大 Her two youngsters are six months old.
它们的主食仍旧是母乳 此刻它们早已饥饿难耐 They still rely on their mother's milk, but they're feeling peckish!
在等待母亲返回哺乳时 它们自己必须 There must be something solid they could find for themselves
独立找到一些固体食物 while they're waiting for a drink.
这东西能吃吗 Is this food?
袋貂看起来非常诱人 That possum smells tasty...
可惜高不可攀 ...but it's a little high up.
这个倒是胜算更大一些 This looks more promising.
辛苦没有白费 它找到了一根树枝 At last, a giant stick!
初次尝试 算不错了 Not bad for a first go.
它们可以继续跟着母亲3个月 享受饭来张口的生活 Their mother will protect and feed these youngsters for another three months.
幼崽的生存不仅对袋獾母亲 甚至对我们都至关重要 Their survival is important to her, but also for us...
因为全球现存的袋獾数量已经少得可怜 ...because these are one of the last devil families in the world.
袋獾现在属于濒危物种 Tasmanian devils are now endangered...
仅存在于少数偏远荒凉的地区 ...found in only a few places,
比如塔斯马尼亚海岸的这座偏远小岛 such as this remote islet off the coast of Tasmania.
但它们曾经遍布澳大利亚各地 But they once lived across the whole of Australia.
我们已经找到了相关证据 Evidence that this was so
就在距离袋獾的巢穴大约4000公里之外的地方 can be seen nearly 2,500 miles away from the devils' family den,
在澳大利亚的北部海岸 on Australia's northern coast.
这里地势高低起伏 巨石林立 This great stretch of boulders
岩石表面镌刻着世界上密度最高的史前画面 is covered by the largest concentration of prehistoric images anywhere in the world.
这些岩石上有上百万幅野生动物壁画 Over one million pictures of wildlife...
其中就包括 ...and among them...
袋獾 ...a Tasmanian devil.
这些是大约60000年前 It was engraved on stone 60,000 years ago
第一批到达澳大利亚大陆的原住民雕刻在石头上的 by some of the first human beings to reach the continent.
大约200年前 Then, just 200 years ago,
欧洲殖民者带着长枪短炮进入澳大利亚 随之带来的还有狗 狐狸和猫 European settlers arrived with guns and dogs, foxes and cats.
这些因素导致许多本土动物走向灭绝 Together, they decimated Australia's unique wildlife.
这曾经是澳大利亚大陆最大的捕食者之一 This was one of the continent's biggest animal predators -
也就是所谓的袋狼 a marsupial wolf, or thylacine.
人们早在1936年拍摄到过 The last-known remaining one was filmed in 1936
动物园里的最后一只袋狼 in a zoo just before it died...
随着他的死亡 这个物种从我们的地球上彻底销声匿迹 ...and so brought the final extinction of its species.
这些岩石就是它们的纪念碑 These rocks are now its memorial.
而袋獾可能也会步其后尘 遭遇同样的命运 And they may become that for the Tasmanian devil as well.
澳大利亚哺乳动物的消失速度之快 远远超过其它任何地方 Mammals in Australia are disappearing faster than anywhere else on Earth.
它们当初适应了自然家园的改变 成功幸存 They succeeded in adapting to life as their home changed around them.
但是现在它们却面临生命中最大的挑战 But now they face their greatest challenge -
那就是应对人类带来的影响 the change to their world brought by humanity.
在接下来的数十年里 这些独特物种的命运 Which of its unique species will survive the coming decades
就完全掌握在我们人类手中 now depends on us.
下集预告 一个人类改造的世界 Next time - a world transformed by mankind...
总能在意想不到的地方 ...where extraordinary animals are found...
发现各种非凡的动物 ...in surprising places.
欧洲 Europe.